This past January I had an amazing opportunity to go to Long Beach, CA for a newborn workshop with Kayla of Little Lashes Photography. I was extra excited because it was winter, so of course I couldn’t wait to drive down the road with my windows down!!! I have never traveled alone either, so this was an exciting time for me!

Day 1

When I arrived to CA I knew Kayla already had a regular scheduled session going on so I was excited to get to her studio to see how she works! I quickly got my rental car and drove (with ALL the windows down) directly to her studio!  I couldn’t have arrived at a better time, because she had just gotten baby to settle and was starting in on the first pose. I was able to watch how she posed, soothed, and maneuvered baby with ease. She talked me through each pose and showed me exactly what I needed to know to execute each pose.  After Kayla finished with her workflow of poses she started with the family photos. She talked me through posing the parents and showed me exactly how to get baby ready before placing in mom or dad’s arms. She thoroughly explained the angles that are most flattering and was sure to pay attention to all the little details so that each image would be perfect. After each shot she made sure that I was comfortable before moving on. I had quite a few “ah-ha” moments where I just got what I needed to do and once that clicked for me I was giddy to try my hand the next day with our models.

After the clients left, Kayla and I sat down to go through my list of questions. By this time, most of my questions had been answered just by watching and learning from her. She made sure I understood her workflow, wrapping, lighting, and angles she chooses for each pose. We then spent some time wrapping some stuffed animals for me to get practice on. Throughout day one I had quite a few “ah-ha” moments and once those things clicked for me, I was giddy to try my hand the next day with our model. Here is my cute model that I practiced wrapping on....

Day 2

We had a baby model coming in in the morning. Kayla had one baby that she knew was very alert come first so she could show me how she handled those situations because this is where I struggled. Well, just like she thought, baby was wide awake. She was very content just looking around and feeding so we started in with getting some wrapped shots of her so I could try out my wrapping techniques. After some time baby finally fell asleep and we were able to start some posing on the beanbag. It was great getting the hands on experience and seeing where I needed corrections to be made for the perfect final image. At the end of Day 2 we went down to the beach and Kayla took some head shots for me. I also had In & Out Burger for the first time.....Best. Burger. Ever.

I have purchased other online tutorials for newborn posing, but nothing beats seeing it in person and being able to ask questions. I would highly recommend Kayla for her newborn workshop! I learned so much over a short period of time, and gained a friend in the process. Below are just a few extra pics from my trip!